‘The Ex List’ 1.02 Review: Work It, Baby!
Episode: Climb Every Mountain Biker
Original Air Date: October 10, 2008
Sure, I was one of the many ardent Moonlight fans who cursed CBS up and down and all around when the network dared to cancel the series. Even so, this being the notoriously fickle TV business, I decided long ago not to pick on The Ex List just because it happens to air in Moonlight’s old time slot. Heck, I’m not even going to take joy in the fact that the newcomer isn’t pulling in a comparable number of viewers.
As far as I’m concerned after watching the second episode, “Climb Every Mountain Biker,” the dramedy does have something to offer people looking for lightweight, mildly romantic entertainment on a Friday night. The show’s main asset remains series star Elizabeth Reaser, whose performance is infinitely better than I was expecting, not because I questioned her talent, but rather because I’m not a typical fan of this type of show.
Following Bella’s total washout with the previous episode’s Lost Love of the Week, scheming rocker dude Johnny Diamont (Eric Balfour), the flower shop owner moves on to Jake Turner (Eric Winter of Brothers & Sisters and, oddly enough, Moonlight, where he played ADA Benjamin Talbot towards the end of the show’s run).
Jake is a cute guy who used to be a homebody mostly interested in sex and TV during their college fling, but he has since transformed into a buff sports freak. The former couple literally almost run into each other after he throws a water cup and unintentionally hits her as he and his fellow triathletes speed past the outdoor restaurant where she’s eating brunch with her friends.
It initially seems like Bella’s long-ago dreams — and incessant whines — have been answered since Jake is definitely more active than he was back when he refused to take her anywhere. In fact, he takes her out so much during their new hookup that Bella soon suffers from painful exhaustion after all of the mountain biking and sea kayaking and ultimate Frisbee and Trivia Olympics with his co-workers, sometimes as early as 5:30 in the morning.
Whereas Bella used to consider Jake lazy, now it feels more like she can’t keep up. The worse part, however, is the lack of romance and sex, and when Bella finally confronts Jake about it, she learns he’s on the rebound from his recent girlfriend Celeste. To accentuate just how much he’s not over the woman, he talks about her incessantly, which understandably wilts highly patient Bella’s willpower.
So, she attempts to end the doomed relationship, which prompts Jake to try to hold on to her, first with flowers and flattery and later by quitting his job. It’s during the second event that Bella learns Jake’s ex is his boss, the same woman they’ve been doing all of this fanatical group sports stuff with.
Since Bella is going through a similar period of withdrawal from her most recent ex Elliott, the veterinarian she lived with for several years who refused to propose, she wisely advises Jake that he’s not ready for a new relationship because he’s still dealing with the break-up process, which you can’t outrun. On to Lost Love of the Week #3 for Bella next.
While she’s pouring all her energy into getting her groove on with Jake, her friends and sister get caught up in a spur-of the-moment drinking game called Google Ex Smackdown. Extending Vivian’s obsession with googling her exes to see how they’re faring in life post-her, Cyrus takes the Web searches to the extreme and establishes a set of rules for downing booze, depending on how much better or worse off your opponent’s ex currently is. In the process, he becomes convinced that a former girlfriend’s successful dating book with the tagline “Before you find the one, you have to stop dating the zero” is talking about him (he’s wrong).
No, The Ex List definitely isn’t on the level of Moonlight, partly because the series are two entirely different genres that appeal to different kinds of viewers. But, yes, The Ex List is a good show that’s fun to watch, especially if romantic dramedies are your thing. I would even say it seems to be improving, and I have no problem watching it again.
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POSTED IN: Recaps, The Ex List
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